Many Popular Public Spaces Are Privately Owned

Consider the concept of community gathering spots and thoughts quickly turn to stately public spaces like New York’s Central Park or the quaint village square where Forrest Gump ate his chocolates.

But in Orange County and much of suburban America, some of the most enduring public places are being supplied not by the government but by private business in the form of shopping malls, multiscreen cinemas and other attractions.

The popularity of “private public spaces” has grown in recent years to include such unconventional settings as coffeehouses in strip malls, merchant-sponsored summer music concerts and weekend farmers markets held in shopping center parking lots.

“This is the changing nature of public resources,” said Ron Baers, an urban design teacher at the UC Irvine Extension. “Cities today can’t afford to provide the kinds of grand civic spaces that cities once did in the last century. The private sector is taking a lot more of that responsibility.”

Baers is helping organize “Places in the Public Realm,” a survey by the American Institute of Architects aimed at identifying successful public spaces in Orange County.

While public beaches, piers and parks are sure to make the list, organizers also expect many profit-seeking gathering spots to show up as well, from amusement parks to the corner bagel shop.

“Orange County is not known foremost for its public space but is known for Disneyland, Fashion Island and other nice and exciting privately owned spaces,” said Kristen Day, assistant professor of urban and regional planning at UCI and another survey organizer.

“The goal is to identify public space but in the broadest possible sense,” Day said. “We are considering places that serve the public and support a diversity of people coming together.”

Day said her group expects to receive many nominations from city officials, who are focusing new attention on bolstering both private and publicly owned commercial centers in efforts to increase sales tax revenue and foster community pride.

“Gathering points promote neighborliness and build a sense of community,” said Irvine Councilwoman Paula Werner. “Any place where people get to know each other and participate in something bigger than themselves serves us all well.”

The growing popularity of food courts, outdoor cafes and other civic spaces contrasts sharply with the often-cited view of 1990s suburbanites as seeking refuge and privacy behind the walls of gated communities.

“This shows that people want to interact with one another,” Day said. “The idea of cocooning, people retreating to the safety their homes and VCRs, might not be true.”

Family entertainment venues around the county are packed both day and night. A 21-screen movie theater and dining center in the Irvine Spectrum, for example, opened this winter to sell-out crowds. Similar developments are now planned for Anaheim and Orange.

The architects hope that by surveying popular spaces, they will gain a better understanding of what draws people to successful spots such as the Irvine Entertainment Center and keeps them away from struggling areas such as some of Orange County’s historic downtowns.

They suspect the answer has a lot to do with maintaining a comfortable and inviting environment--a factor that gives privately owned spaces some distinct advantages.

Malls and other retail centers are run by a single operator who can impose strict controls over many aspects of the public space, from its appearance to the rules that visitors must follow.

“The distinction turns on issues of social behavior and free speech,” said Keenan E. Smith, a Costa Mesa architect and USC urban planning instructor. “If you go demonstrate in a mall, it’s likely that security will be called and you’ll be hauled out.”

While most “private public spaces” are open to all, developers can manipulate who frequents the spots by renting only to certain types of businesses. Upscale shopping centers, for example, might rent only to luxury retailers, fancy restaurants and gourmet food stores.

Public business districts, by contrast, lack much of this control. Downtown merchants can’t simply banish panhandlers or demonstrators from public streets, even if their presence drives away customers.

Business districts are controlled by a variety of owners, resulting in less consistent design standards and a less unified marketing approach.

But Baers and other urban planning experts stress that publicly owned spaces offer many treasures that private developments often try in vain to match--from 100-year-old storefronts and Victorian houses to the sand and surf of Orange County’s free coastline.

Another attraction of public parks and recreational areas is that they have a purpose beyond selling clothes, movie tickets and compact discs.

“Successful places make people feel comfortable,” Baers said. “That can overcome a lot of class and ethnic differences . . . and draw different people together.”

The American Institute of Architects is conducting a survey of successful public spaces in Orange County. Nominations can be mailed to: People’s Choice, AIA Orange County, Public Place Awards, 3200 Park Center Drive, Suite 110, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Deadline is March 1.

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Public vs. Private

Urban planners have said for decades that the shopping mall has replaced Main Street. Some of the most popular public gathering places, from multiplex cinemas to coffee houses, are owned by private companies. Here are contrasting aspects of two Orange County gathering spots, one privately owned, the other public:

Triangle Square in Costa Mesa

* Shopping and entertainment center with a single operator.

* Uniform appearance and signage.

* Central “restaurant row” with outdoor seating on one level, a eight-screen cinema on another level.

* Chain stores, including Barnes & Noble booksellers, Virgin Megastore and Niketown.

* Many attractions linked by central courtyard away from street.

* Dining and entertainment not oriented toward street, even though other shopping areas are nearby.

Old Towne Orange

* Historic downtown district with multiple ownership of buildings.

* Many vintage structures with some modern buildings mixed in.

* Specialty shops and restaurants scattered across district.

* Mostly one-of-a-kind shopping and dining spots, a host of independently owned antique stores.

* Shopping and dining oriented toward street and historic traffic circle.

* Public sidewalks linking various retail spots.

Sources: Times reports; Researched by SHELBY GRAD/For The Times